“Entrepreneurial Volunteerism” that is how I describe our inclusion and diversity strategy at Cisco. This is what you get when you give passionate people the freedom and support to explore what is important for them.
A great example of this would be the Canadian women’s group who has set out their charter as Recruit (show Cisco Canada as a great place to work for women), Retain (provide opportunities to network and support each other), and Educate (give access to training to improve professional skills).
WISE Conference
In the past 12 months the team has hosted two major conferences, provided speakers and seminars to local universities, delivered seminars on public speaking and financial planning and raised money for the local food bank.
Right now the team is working on planning for the Women of Impact conference on March 19 – a Cisco global event for Cisco employees, customers and partners.
And an internal event in cities across Canada – networking and chocolate making!
Diversity in the workforce nurtures an environment where employees from various backgrounds, genders and ages work together to accomplish common goals. We welcome varied opinions and challenges since we know that promoting these ideas allow for extraordinary things to happen!
I am humbled and honored to have received the ‘Leadership Excellence Award – Diversity Champion,’ presented by Women in Communications and Technology (WCT). This award is not solely a representation of the great work that Cisco has been doing, but it is a symbol that women are beginning to be recognized in the technology industry.
The WCT mission is to “engage and advance women in careers in communication, digital media and technology through a coast to coast community network of industry support, leadership, education and mentoring.” WCT is paving the path to strengthen the leadership role of women driving innovation and smart growth in Canada.
Our workforce is changing to become more inclusive, and it is this inclusivity that will allow us to prosper.
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